


Cue Cards

by ExoZadakh



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, 少女☆歌劇 レヴュースタァライト -Re LIVE- | Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight -Re LIVE- (Video Game), 少女☆歌劇 レヴュー・スタァライト | Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight (Anime)
Genre: Gen, just for fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24291715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExoZadakh/pseuds/ExoZadakh
Summary: Karen and Hikari struggle desperately to defeat Akira in a duel.
Kudos: 5





	Cue Cards

The blinding flash stung at Karen’s eyes, even closed. Standing firm against the shockwaves that battered her, she reached out her hand, clasping Hikari’s shoulder so that they could lean on each other. Soon the light dimmed; as Karen opened her eyes, she looked at the scorched ground before her, and then up at the massive, white-scaled dragon that towered over the field, jaws still sparking from its last attack. Karen couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of awe.

“Blue-Eyes…White Dragon…”

“Karen?” Hikari said. “Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, Hikari-chan.”

At the foot of the great dragon stood another girl, one with shining platinum hair that flapped behind her in the wake of her foe’s monster’s destruction. Holding her Duel Disk in front, she gestured up at the dragon with her other hand, saying, “Now do you see? No ordinary Duelist can stand before the might of the great Blue-Eyes! Surrender before you embarrass yourself further. I end my turn.”

Karen took a step forward. “No way! We’re no ‘ordinary Duelists’, Akira: Aijou Karen, starlet of the stage, is getting better day by day! And so long as Hikari-chan and I are working together, there’s nothing that can stop us!”

From the theater seats nearby, Junna adjusted her glasses. “Karen…it’s a lovely sentiment, but you need to face facts. How are you going to stop a monster so powerful when you have nothing to fight back with?”

“They’ll find a way!” Mahiru said. “Karen-chan, Hikari-chan! I know you can still win this!”

Karen paused to flash her a smile, and then turned to Hikari and nodded. She then set her face, looked back at Akira, and reached for her deck. “I draw!”

Akira scoffed. “Fine—struggle futilely if that is your wish. Soon enough, you shall decimated by the power of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon.”

Ignoring her, Karen and Hikari huddled together, examining the cards in Karen’s hand. Scratching her head, Karen said, “Well, we could get this on the field…but it won’t be enough by itself. What do you think, Hikari-chan?”

Hikari stared quietly for a moment before locking eyes with Karen. “Do it.”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

“Definitely.” Talking more to Akira now, she added, “This hand has everything we need to destroy her Blue-Eyes.”

Akira smirked. “Hmph! What a bold statement to make. If you still think you can win, then show me!”

Tentatively plucking a card from her hand, Karen said, “Okay…I summon Black Dragon’s Chick to my field!”

In a tiny flash, the monster materialized, a tiny dragon still struggling to claw through the shell of its egg. From the sidelines, Kaoruko yawned, “Goodness, is she serious? How is that little thing going to stand up to Yukishiro-han?”

“You don’t know how that card works, do you?” Futaba said.

“Hmhm, I should’ve known you’d defend it. Little ones have to stick together, after all.”

“What was that?!”

Slashing her arm through the air, Karen declared, “I activate Black Dragon Chick’s effect! By sending it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!”

Red light consumed the small dragon. Gradually, its body grew larger and larger, until finally it stood at the same height as Blue-Eyes; the light faded, and the black dragon, now fully grown, roared defiantly at its foe.

“What can this monster accomplish?” Akira asked. “It doesn’t have the power to stop me.”

“The true strength of Red-Eyes is in its potential,” Hikari said. “And now, we’re going to tap into some of that potential!”

She waved her hand forward, and the facedown card laying in front of her flipped upright.

“I activate Red-Eyes Spirit! If we have a ‘Red-Eyes’ monster in our Graveyard, this card lets us Special Summon it to the field! And it just so happens, we discarded one not too long ago!”

“Of course!” Junna said. “Kagura-san really thought ahead—she must’ve expected Yukishiro-san would have a monster they couldn’t defeat so easily!”

“I knew it,” Nana said. “They’re still in this!”

Flames burst from the trap card, and out of them emerged another dragon, similar to the first Red-Eyes but with four wings lined in fire, the flame bestowing an ethereal shine to its scales. Karen grinned as Hikari shouted, “Come out! Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!”

“Nice going, Hikari-chan!” Karen said. “Now we’ve got two monsters to work with!”

Frowning, Mahiru said, “But…both of their attack points are still under 3000. What are they going to do?”

“Karen!” Hikari said.

“Got it!” Karen said. Punching upward with her Duel Disk, she said, “We Overlay Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!”

The two dragons became streaks of flame, shooting high into the air before crashing back down. A black hole appeared at their point of impact, raw energy spilling out of it like wildfire, and from beyond the portal came a roar that shook the entire theater.

“An Xyz Summon…” Akira muttered as she watched.

“With the Overlay Network,” Hikari said, “we can summon to the field…”

A new dragon emerged from the black hole, similar in form to the Black Flare Dragon but with scales made of obsidian metal, jets of flame shooting from vents along its wings and back. It roared again as it took flight, fixing its crimson eyes on its opponent as two small points of light began to orbit it.

Together, Karen and Hikari called, “Rank 7! Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!”

Akira narrowed her eyes at the otherworldly dragon. “2800…that’s still not enough. What is your strategy?”

Looking at her cards, Karen said, “Well…um…we, uh…”

Hikari pulled one card from her hand, holding it forward to show Akira. “We activate the effect of Black Metal Dragon! When this card is either in our hand or on the field, we can equip it to a ‘Red-Eyes’ monster we control. And we choose…” She threw the card onto her Duel Disk, and then pointed as she finished, “Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!”

A mechanical wyvern materialized on the field, immediately splitting apart into components that moved to surround the Xyz Monster. The new armor bestowed larger horns and a third set of wings upon it, and Red-Eyes growled as new power surged through it, manifesting as an aura of intense heat that could be felt even from the audience.

“Ah, that’s right!” Karen said. “With Black Metal Dragon equipped, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon gains 600 attack points! Giving it a grand total of 3400!”

Akira’s eyes widened. The spectators cheered, Mahiru in particular leaping to her feet. Kaoruko instead leaned back in her chair, grumbling, “So much racket, they haven’t even destroyed it yet…”

Reaching out, Akira said, “I didn’t think it would come to this, but—"

“We should mention,” Hikari said, “so long as Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon has Xyz Material, it cannot be destroyed by card effects.”

Akira flinched. “What?!”

Karen giggled, and Hikari gave her a faint smile. In unison, they pointed forward and shouted, “Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon! Destroy Blue-Eyes!”

Red light built up within Red-Eyes’ maw as it reared back. Akira had just enough time to brace herself before it bucked forward, breathing out a torrent of flame that turned Blue-Eyes into ash in a fraction of a second. Smoke and embers dancing around her, Akira let out a very long breath.

“She barely has any Life Points left!” Nana said. “And if even her Blue-Eyes can’t win, there’s no way she can break those two’s momentum!”

Karen jumped up and down, saying, “Yes, yes, yes! How awesome are we? Okay, time to end—”

“Wait, Karen!” Hikari said.

“Huh?”

Taking another card, Hikari set it facedown, and then nodded.

“Oh, good thinking, Hikari-chan! Okay, _now_ we end our turn!”

Akira stood tall, having totally regained her composure. However, the arrogant miasma she had once exuded seemed to have evaporated.

“Well done,” she said at last. “I must admit, I did not think you would defeat my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Clearly, you two are more skilled than I realized.”

“Hehe, thanks!” Karen said. “You’re great at this too! I can totally see why you’re top of the class at Siegfeld!”

Akira smirked. “Hmph…I draw.” She paused to examine the card. “I activate the spell card Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two cards from my deck.”

Hikari interjected, “Hold on! While Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon has Xyz Material, each time you activate a card or effect, you take 500 points of damage!”

At this, Red-Eyes bellowed, sending out waves of heat that struck Akira. Glancing at her Duel Disk, she said, “I see…”

She pulled two more cards from her deck, and as she did, Hikari felt a chill run down her spine. _What is this? Why do I feel…_

For just a moment, a look of mild surprise crossed Akira’s face. Then, her smirk returned, bringing with it a fraction of her former arrogance as she chuckled to herself. “In a way, it’s unfortunate. This duel just became interesting, but with this card, your fate is already sealed.”

“Bring it on!” Karen said.

“As you wish. I summon the Lord of D.!”

A cloaked humanoid wearing a dragon’s skull appeared on the field. Hikari noted its low attack points, but didn’t let that trick her into lowering her guard.

“Next!” Akira said, placing another card. “I activate the spell card The Flute of Summoning Dragon!”

A long instrument modeled after a dragon appeared in the Lord of D.’s hand. Again Red-Eyes roared, but Akira endured the waves of heat and reached for her hand.

“Nngh…with The Flute of Summoning Dragon, I can Special Summon up to two Dragon monsters from my hand!”

The Lord blew the flute, and Akira played two cards. Twin lightning bolts struck the field, heralding the arrival of two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

“Woah!” Karen said. “She had two more of those ready to get us?!”

“Focus, Karen!” Futaba called. “However many there are, they still can’t beat your Red-Eyes!”

“Oh, good point!”

“But be careful,” Hikari said. “She has three monsters on the field. She must be gearing up for something big.”

“Exactly right,” Akira said. “Ready your dragon, for I activate another spell: Double Summon! This allows me to make a second Normal Summon this turn”

She played the card, enduring once more Red-Eyes’ penalty. Hikari said, “A fourth monster? How many does she need?”

Akira lifted a single card. “Only one.”

“What?”

“Once again, I commend you. Defeating my Blue-Eyes is no small feat. However…there is one monster in my deck which is even stronger.”

Up to this point, Claudine and Maya had sat silently at the rear of the theater, neither moving an inch as they watched the duel unfold. Hearing this, however, Claudine started; she glanced over at Maya, noticing the grin on the other girl’s face, and then leaned forward to shout. “Karen! Hikari! Watch out!”

Karen looked up. “Huh? Clau-chan? What is it?”

“Aijou Karen, Kagura Hikari,” Akira said. “Tell me: are either of you familiar with the sacred duty shared by our two schools?”

“A sacred duty?” Hikari repeated.

“Um…what?” Karen said. “I never thought there was any special connection between Seisho and Siegfeld…”

“I thought not,” Akira said. “You see, both schools have long been renowned for producing powerful Duelists, and as a result, were trusted with guarding something very important…cards so powerful that they can only be wielded by Duelists of remarkable skill.”

Karen and Hikari exchanged a look. Akira’s smirk finally turned into a toothy grin.

“God Cards.”

A palpable sense of dread flooded the theater. Junna gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth, and said, “Impossible…”

Turning to her, Nana asked, “You know what she’s talking about, Junna-chan?”

“I-I thought they were just a myth…supposedly, Seisho, Siegfeld, and Rinmeikan long ago were each given one of three cards said to be able to summon the gods themselves. Can it actually be true…?”

Claudine dug her fingers into the seat in front of her. Maya closed her eyes, seeming awfully content with the situation.

“It is the truth.” Akira raised the card high above her head. “And as the top Duelist at Siegfeld—as Frau Platin—I have inherited one of these divine cards! Now, I tribute Lord of D. and my two Blue-Eyes, in order to summon…”

She turned the card around for all to see. It was blue, depicting a massive creature of the same color who exuded such malice it seemed to almost be staring right out of the card at Akira’s opponents.

“Obelisk the Tormentor!”

The three monsters on her field disappeared, and in their place sprang a great shadow. It rose higher and higher, and once it loomed above all, light finally illuminated it, revealing the imposing form of the summoned god. All eyes were transfixed as the creature announced its arrival with a piercing cry.

“4000…” Hikari breathed. “4000 attack points?!”

Keeping one hand aloft, Akira yelled, “O mighty Obelisk! Heed the call of Frau Platin!” When she brought her arm down to point, it seemed an act of unstoppable damnation. “Guide your acolyte to victory, and smite the enemy standing in my way!”

With a bellow that made the earth itself tremble, Obelisk pulled back one gargantuan fist. Karen took a step back, saying, “Uh, Hikari-chan…”

Hikari continued to stare at the monster, shaking in place. “Obelisk…”

Obelisk began to swing. Karen called, “Hikari-chan!”

Snapping back to reality, Hikari frantically reached out. “I…I activate my trap! Waboku!”

The card flipped up just in time. Obelisk’s fist connected with Red-Eyes, sending out powerful shockwaves that nearly knocked the two girls off their feet; however, when it was all over, the dragon remained on the field.

“Our monsters can’t be destroyed in battle this turn…and we take no battle damage.”

“Heh!” Akira crossed her arms. “You were right to take precaution. Very well: my turn is over.”

Obelisk took a step back, ominously watching, waiting to see what Karen and Hikari’s next move would be. Karen said, “That’s gonna be tough to beat…what’s the plan, Hikari-chan?”

Hikari dropped to her knees. “…It’s over…”

Whirling on her, Karen said, “What?! Hikari-chan!”

“It’s over, Karen,” she said quietly. “There’s nothing we can do…it’s over…”

Crouching next to her, Karen murmured, “But…Hikari-chan…”

“Lève-toi!”

Hikari blinked. Lifting her head, she looked to the seats, where Claudine stood tall, pointing directly at her with fierce determination blazing in her eyes.

“Get up, Kagura Hikari! You’re seeing this duel through to the end!” She swung her arm around. “So what if things look grim? So what if your opponent is called a god?! You do not have permission to simply give up when there are still cards in your deck! Every monster has a weakness—even God Cards! You may have forgotten that, but your partner hasn’t!”

Hikari turned to Karen. The girl smiled at her, gently helping her to her feet.

“You’ve already shown that by combining your power, you can make miracles happen! So make another one! That’s all there is to it! You two are going to win this duel, d’accord? Stand proud! And find the path that will lead you to the top!”

Hikari placed one hand over her chest. “…I understand. Thank you, Saijou-san.”

Claudine sat back down in a huff. Next to her, Maya opened her eyes, saying, “You sound quite convinced, Saijou Claudine. Perhaps this means you’ve finally found a way to defeat my Slifer?”

Turning aside, Claudine said, “Who knows? I suppose you’ll just have to find out next time we duel!”

“Are you quite done?” Akira said. “All I need to know is if you will submit to the power of Obelisk, or if you intend to continue dragging this out.”

Hikari turned back to Karen, giving a nod. Karen smiled, and then faced Akira to give her response. “We’re not giving up! Somehow, some way, we’re going to defeat your God Card and win this duel!”

Karen reached for her deck.

“This duel is just getting started! I draw!”

**Author's Note:**

> -You have no idea how tempted I was to make the title “I am (Monster) Reborn!”  
> -I’ve been getting back into Yu-Gi-Oh lately and have been wanting to write something Starlight-related for a while now, and this silly little oneshot seemed like a good way to dip my toe in and start getting a feel for how to write duels/these characters. Akira has some of the same energy as Kaiba, and from there the remaining elements of this story just fell into place one by one.  
> -Kinda feel bad for not even giving Frontier a mention—since they’re new I figured it wouldn’t make much sense for them to have one of the God Cards, and one of the four main schools had to be left out anyway. That being said, Shizuha is probably the most feared Cyberse Duelist in Japan or something. (She is the Empress of the Digital World, after all.)  
> -Obviously Rinmeikan has Ra, Tamao learned how to use it but I feel like she probably gave it to Fumi once she joined the department? Maybe? This is kind of a pointless detail but it’s here if you want it.  
> -I wanted to give the giraffe at least a small appearance but it felt too tacked on, just pretend he’s watching this whole thing and has the Millennium Eye for some reason.  
> -I didn’t bother figuring out how Karen and Hikari are dueling together. Every YGO protag needs a partner and Karen and Hikari need each other, so I just rolled with it, the specifics of how this works aren’t really essential especially since, again, this is a silly little oneshot written for fun. And I had a lot of fun.


End file.
